Monday, April 17, 2017

This is another crowd pleaser that can be adapted for all sorts of different holidays! In retrospect - I wish I hadn't done the white chocolate on the top, but it sure is pretty!

Adapted from a recipe I saw on the internet

12 cups of Rice Krispies
16 oz bag of mini marshmallows
1 stick of butter + butter for the pan
gel food color
white chocolate almond bark for the topping
Sprinkles or Candy for decorating if you do the topping

Generously butter your bundt pan - I used about 1 tablespoon or so off of a separate stick of butter -- and I'd recommend doing the same because mine slid right out of the pan easily. Make sure that all surfaces are completely buttered on the inside of the pan.

I split the stick of butter into 3rds -- measured 4 cups of Rice Krispies cereal -- and roughly 2 cups of mini marshmallows per "batch" -- I threw in an extra fist full of marshmallows to each of the batches.

Remember that when you invert the bundt "cake" the colors are going to come out in reverse -- so if you want a certain layer on the top -- make that color first and put it on the bottom of the bundt pan.

Make each batch separately - in a large saucepan, melt the butter - add in the marshmallows until melted smooth - add in 2 drops of gel food color, and mix until the color is completely combined. Mix in the cereal, until combined - then spread it around the bundt pan. I used a 1/4 cup metal measuring cup and sprayed the bottom with butter flavored cooking spray -- then pressed the mixture firmly into the pan.

Clean out the pan, and repeat for the next color. Repeat a third time. After the third color is pressed on top - set it to the side (away from any heat) for 30 minutes before turning it out onto a plate or glass cake holder.

If you choose to do the topping -- use about 1/2 of a package of white chocolate almond bark (it spreads a bit more easily than white chocolate chips) -- I had to help make the drips on the sides so that it looked a bit like a drip cake -- work quickly and add the candies or sprinkles while it is still warm enough for them to stick and adhere to the top. My son helped me with this -- we used M&M eggs for Easter -- and he followed a pattern.

These were so wonderful that I've now decided we can make them for Easter as shown... but also you could do red, white and blue for Memorial Day, 4th of July, or Labor Day... red, white and green for Christmas... candy corn for Halloween... ombre red for Valentine's Day... whatever colors suit your fancy! The filling is white without the coloring added -- so it would really work!

Make sure that a couple hours before you want to start making these -- you've pulled out your cream cheese and both types of cream so they can get to room temperature.

Place a jumbo silicone muffin pan on a baking sheet. Pulse the shortbread cookies in a food processor until they are finely crumbled OR you can put them in a large baggie and use a rolling pin to crush them up finely. Mix them with your melted butter in a small bowl.

Using a cookie scoop or spoon divide the crumb mixture in the cavities of the muffin pan evenly. (it was about 2 scoops per cup for mine) Press firmly into the bottom of each portion of the pan to form your crust. I used a small medicine cup from a children's nyquil bottle -- it needs to be the hard plastic kind for it to work.

Place the cold water in a separate small bowl and pour the gelatin on top. Mix it together and then let it sit to the side until you're ready to use it.

Put the cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer (a hand mixer could also be used) - using the paddle attachment - beat the cream cheese until it is smooth and creamy without any left over lumps. Make sure you scrape the bowl completely and mix again before adding anything else.

Add in the sugar, lemon juice, vanilla bean paste, and salt - mix well - scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl well.

With the mixer on low speed, gradually add in the cream and creamer, mixing until everything is smooth. I put both of mine into the same measuring cup to come up to room temp - so I just poured in a 1/4 of the mixture at a time.

Finally, microwave the gelatin mixture for about 10-15 seconds until it is liquid again. Mix it for just a little bit, and then finish mixing it by hand to make sure you've scraped the sides and gotten everything mixed well.

Divide the cheesecake mixture by the number of colors you will be adding -- for Easter, I did 4 -- but for other holidays adjust accordingly. Stir in 1-2 drops of food coloring into each bowl and mix until the color is mixed in completely. (I used 2)

Using the same medium sized cookie scoop (again mine was 2 scoops per color) - you could also pipe in the colors if that make it easier for you. Place the scoops in the middle and spread outwardly with a spoon - I made sure that each color touched the sides of the pan all the way around each cup before adding in the next color.

Repeat with the remaining colors - layering until you've finished with all of the colors. Place the pan that is sitting on the sheet pan into the freezer for at least 2 hours. I did 2.5 to make sure that they were good and solid. They should feel solid to the touch before you try to unmold them.

To unmold - press up from the bottom of the pan, and turn it upside down - pushing the cake into your hand. We put ours in a rectangular 13x9 cake pan with a lid - and allowed them to sit in the refrigerator until time to be served the next day. You at least want them to have 30 minutes between the time you remove them from the molds and the time you're planning to serve them so that they aren't frozen. They can sit in the refrigerator for several days if you'd like to make them in advance.

To decorate - top with whipped cream (I used rediwhip so that it was fresh and looked pretty) & a pinch of sprinkles or candy. I used egg shaped M&Ms for our Easter version.